Top 10: Movies Based on Video Games

Everyone likes a good book to screen adaptation, however there isn’t a lot of love for some of our favorite game franchises hitting the big screen.

This week, in honor of the 15th anniversary of Final Fantasy: The Spirits within, we look back at some of our favorite game to film titles!

10: Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time ( 2010 )

While an old game to many, I still remember sitting in a dark basement until the early hours of the morning playing this Ubisoft classic on my old gamecube. The film adaptation starred Jake Gyllenhaal who portrayed Dastan, A young fugitive prince who must stop a villain who unknowingly threatens to destroy the world with a special dagger that enables the magic sand inside to reverse time.

9: Doom ( 2005 )

While this film wasn’t the greatest, it makes the list simply for nostalgic purposes. I mean, it has been forever since playing one of the most memorable FPS games of our time. It seems like yesterday I was typing the iconic “IDKFA” cheat code. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as a Space Marine that is sent to investigate strange events at a research facility on Mars but finds himself and his team at the mercy of genetically enhanced killing machines.

8: Max Payne (2008)

Remember how cool it was to watch the Matrix? Remember how much cooler that ability became to get slow motion kills? Enter Mark Wahlberg and Mila Kunis. Coming together to solve a series of murders in New York City are a police detective whose family was slain as part of a conspiracy and an assassin out to avenge her sister’s death. The duo will be hunted by the police, the mob, and a ruthless corporation.

7: Angry Birds (2016)

Simply put, the mobile game that has taken the world by storm took our hearts in early 2016!

6: Pixels (2015)

I know what you are thinking. This is not a movie about one specific game. You’re 100% right. However, while making this list this film was hard to ignore. While it wasn’t the highest rated film actor Adam Sandler and company could produce, the film took so many of us back to a simpler time where arcade games were all the rage. If you can look past the cheesy story, you can see the likes of PACMAN, Q-bert, and that barrel throwing ape that we know as Donkey Kong.

5: Need for Speed (2014)

In this by name only adaptation of one of the most popular game franchises of all time. Arron Paul stars as Tobey Marshall, a fresh out of prison racer looking seeking revenge on the one who put him in prison. This high octane, adrenaline filled film is one not to be missed by fans of the franchise.

4: Warcraft

While technology has changed since some of the earlier titles on the list, one thing hasn’t… the amount of draw a simple video game turned film can produce. This one follows an Orc horde invading the planet Azeroth using a magic portal. A few human heroes and dissenting Orcs must attempt to stop the true evil behind this war.

3: Street Fighter (1994)

When nostalgia strikes, it strikes hard with our next pick. From classic arcade to early home consoles, Street Fighter sits very near and dear to many. If only Hollywood at the time had the perfect action star for the role. Enter Jean-Claude Van Damme or as we know him, Col. William Guile as he leads an army of soldiers into the country of Shadaloo to find traces to lead him to General M. Bison, who has captured many people including three missing soldiers.

2: Mortal Kombat (1995)

(Hears theme song in head) Who remembers sitting in front of your televisions after school arguing about who can be sub zero? Maybe it’s me, but even today when I see something wobbling I have instinct to yell FINISH HIM! You know where this is going…

1: Super Mario Bros (1993)

We saved the best for last and with good reason. We follow brothers Mario Mario and Luigi Mario as they take an unexpected journey to an alternate dimension ruled by evolved dinosaurs and covered in fungus. While the film was never worthy of an Oscar, we couldn’t pick a better film to end this list. A film that really lead the way for video game to film cross overs!